Forums Closed
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As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
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07-21-2012, 10:49 PM
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#11
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 15,377
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Day 1, Saturday, 7/21/12—PART ONE (I know you want to know about the surprise, which was AWESOME, but that’s in part 2—coming up next. )
Weather in Boston upper 50’s Weather in LA 90’s, muggy, HOT
Unfortunately, I set my alarm for 3:30 but woke up at 2am. Had some coffee, got ready to go and went downstairs to meet the cab at 4:45. They remembered to send a van so that my scooter fit into the back, but they forgot to provide a step-stool. I struggled to get up the high step into the cab and thought for a moment that I’d have to go upstairs for a step-stool! Fortunately, I took a deep breath, grabbed the bars and pulled and I was in! No traffic at that hour, so I was in line for security by just after 5. The line for wheelchairs was really long, but I had plenty of time and they gave me and my scooter a pat-down and sent us on our way.
I had no problem gate-checking the scooter, the flight boarded on time and, other than way too little personal space for a long flight, was fine. It was bright sunshine the whole way across the ountry, which made photo-taking hard, but I love watching the changes from city to country and from flat to mountains.
We even landed about 30 mins early. I made my way to baggage claim and found the nice young woman from ABD with my name on a placard. She grabbed my bag from the carousel and escorted me curbside to meet my driver. I don’t think either the greeter or the driver are actually Disney employees, but they do a very nice job of playing CM. The driver gave me a mini-tour of the city, pointing out landmarks as we went. I gave Jeannie a call and we agreed that I’d call her again once checked into the room and ready to head out again. One very nice thing about ABD is that you do not tip ANYONE but the tour guides. No housekeeping, no drivers. Feels very strange, but I’m a rule-follower!
I checked into the Loews Hollywood Hotel
and on my way to my room on the ninth floor I was hoping for a room with a view of the Hollywood sign like Sharon had on her tour. No such luck, of course, but the room is very nicely furnished and has a partial view of the pool and a partial view of the entrance to the Kodak Theater, which has just had a name-change and is the Dolby Theater.
I called Jeannie again and soon we were hugging in the lobby and I got to meet her wonderful children, Sophia (12) and Evan (8). Just as I expected, it was like meeting an old friend and we were chattering away immediately.
Update following with the SURPRISE!
Last edited by lauriep; 07-29-2012 at 06:26 PM..
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